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(No Model.)

W. K. PARKER.

RAISINGS FOR UPHOLSTERY 0F FELT.

No.,256,729. I Patented Apr. 18,1882.

A? m O *4 PETERS. Phm-umc m tur. Wamington. 11c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM K. PARKER, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO ENGLISH & MERSICK, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 256,729, dated April 18, 1882.

Application filed March 13, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WM. K. PARKER, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Raisin gs for Upholsteryof Felt; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a piece of upholstery to illustrate the use of the raisings; Fig. 2, a section of the felt as prepared for cuttingraisin gs therefrom;

Fig. 3, the raisings as cut from the sheet or blank.

This invention relates to an improvement in the filling, or preparation of filling, for raised work in upholstery-that is to say, for

illustration, material which is introduced between thicknesses vof fabric, the material being cut to the desired ornamental shape, and then a line of stitches run through the two fabrics,followingthe outline of the filling, will give a raised figure on the surface, such as seen in Fig. 1. This filling is commonly called raisings, from the fact that by its use the surface is raised, giving it an embossed appearance, and is chiefly used in carriage-work, This 0 filling is generally or best made from feltfirst, because it does not fray at the edges, as when out from a plain woven or unfelted fabric; and, second, because felt may be made so thick that but a single thickness will be re- 3 5 quired, whereas several thicknesses of fabric would be required. But in the use of felt a serious difficulty is experienced in cutting it to the required shape, because the knife draws the felt out of shape, and if it does notthus draw it out of shape there is a subsequentdifficulty experienced in introducing theraisingand stitching around it-that' is, the liability to work out of its regular shape between the fabrics.

The object of my invention is to overcome this difficulty; and it consists in coating one or both surfaces of the felt with a sizing of any suitable material which gives to it a certain rigidity, sufficient to prevent its working out of shape either in cutting or when introduced, and as more fully hereinafter described.

I first take felt such as commonly used, and which is an article of commerce, (indicated at A, Fig. 1,) and coa t that which is to be the un- (No specimens.)

der surface with a sizing of paste, glue, or other material, (indicated as a in Fig. 2.) This sizing may be applied with a brush, by rolls, or any suitable device. It is only necessary that the sizing shall have such a consistency that it will not enter into the fiber of the felt to any considerable extent, but yet when dry so stiffen the surface to which it is applied that it will not permit the felt to be drawn out of shape longitudinally, transversely, or diagonally, but will permit the flexibility of the This raising is applied between the two .fab-

rics and the stitching run around it in the usual manner, and as seen in Fig. 1, to give to the surface the proper raised appearance This stiffening ot' the raising affords a better guide for the workman than the unstiffened raising can do. Hence better work is more easily produced than can be by the old methodofusingthe unstiliened felt. In some casesas, for instance, in very thick felt-it may be desirable to app y a covering over the sizing, as thin paper or similar thin material, to give an additional stiffening, the sizing serving to secure the paper to the felt. By the term sizing, therefore, I wish to be understood as embracing such a coating of the surface of the felt as will give to it the rigidity required without affecting the soft or elastic character required for the cushion-like raising.

This article may be prepared by manufacturers of felt as an article of commerce, or it may be applied to the felt by the upholsterer himself.

What I claim is-- The herein-described improvement in raisings for upholstery, consisting in felt having its surface coated with a stiffening material preparatory to the cutting of the raisin gs therefrom, substantially as described.

Witnesses: WILLIAM K. PARKER.

LILLTAN D. ROGERS, Jos. (J. EARLE. 

